THE Mayors' Council of Guam will be receiving an infusion of around $550,000 from the Recycling Revolving Fund after it re-established its partnership with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency.

Money from the Recycling Revolving Fund is used to fund cleanup efforts including the collection of abandoned vehicles and other metallic waste from areas across the island.

According to MCOG Executive Director Angel Sablan, GEPA, which has purview over the money, has allocated the funds for village cleanup efforts.

“But it doesn’t mean that we are going to use it at one time. We are going to give each village $25,000. Of course, there are some villages that were not able to finish their initial $25,000 from the first go-around. So we are going to put that back in for their use,” Sablan said.

GEPA is already working with MCOG for the development of a work plan for the cleanup efforts, which will be done simultaneously in all of the 19 villages.

The program, according to Sablan, started its first cycle last year with an allocation of $25,000 for each village. Although the implementation was generally successful, Sablan said some villages took longer to complete their cleanup efforts.

Goals

“Working with every village to see this money utilized for the benefit of residents is one of our main goals for 2013,” said Guam EPA Administrator Eric M. Palacios. “Our mayors work hard every day to improve the lives of every resident. This funding will assist their efforts and promote the goals of Guam EPA at the same time.”

Palacios said every mayor and vice mayor will have extra money on top of their existing budget that can be used specifically to manage the island’s solid waste stream – from the cradle to the grave.

“The trash that each household generates ultimately wind up in the proper collection facility, either sent off-island for certain types of metallic waste, or properly processed and transferred to our sanitary landfill,” Palacios said.

He said it is important to reinvest these funds back into the community.